The Real 100th

As the bass from the loud speaker continues to travel throughout the room, Naya surveys her surroundings, taking in all of the smiles plastered to her friends/co-workers' faces. It's been so nice seeing everyone in attendance from the past and present cast since the show first began. Although everyone misses Cory terribly, he's with all of them in spirit, giving JC a high-five on a job well done, reaching 100 episodes.

As everyone seems to be lost in their own separate conversations amongst each other, Naya uses this as her opportunity to slip away, unnoticed without further questioning.

As she finds herself in the elevator, she presses the button marked "R" until it illuminates. Once the doors close and the elevator begins to rise, she braces herself against the railing, not expecting the sudden jerk once she arrived at her destination. Once the elevator doors open again, Naya takes a step out until both of her feet are firmly planted on the rooftop of the Chateau Marmont. As she walks over to the edge and rests her elbows on the platform, she closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath. Once she's satisfied with the amount of oxygen flowing through her system, she exhales and opens her eyes once again, taking in the beautiful lights of West Hollywood.

As she stands there, she feels her hand tightening its grip around her clutch purse, subconsciously. Then she suddenly remembers why she had escaped to the rooftop, leaving her second family behind. She didn't come up here for just the fresh air... she came up here for a purpose.

As she reaches into her clutch, she pulls out the pack of Marlboro Lights that have been nestled away for a good week or so. She then tears the plastic off of the unopened pack and retrieves one cigarette. As she rolls the cigarette back and forth between her index finger, her middle finger, and thumb, she contemplates on whether she should also retrieve her lighter and smoke this bad boy. Lord knows she could use the sweet relief of nicotine to suppress the enormous amounts of stress she's been experiencing as of late.

Just one little drag couldn't hurt, right?

Before she can make her decision, her thoughts are interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Those things will kill you, ya know?"

"Jesus, Heather! You scared the crap out of me," Naya exclaims as she drops the cigarette in favor of clutching the material currently covering her rapidly beating heart. "You can't just sneak up on folks like that."

"Technically, I didn't sneak up on you," Heather begins. "I've been sitting over there since you came up here," she says as she motions towards a bench behind them.

"Oh, really?" Naya confusedly questions. "I don't know how I missed you..."

"Yeah... you seemed pretty lost in thought," Heather replies as she steps closer, bending down to pick up the fallen cigarette. "What are you doing with this?" Heather inquires, motioning towards the un-lit cigarette in her hand.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... why do you have this?" Heather asks again. "You quit smoking towards the end of Season 2 and I know for a fact that you only sneak one in here and there when you're really stressed out. So what gives?"

"Wait... how did you know?" Naya responds back with a surprised expression. She had no idea Heather knew that she still had a tendency to revert back to her bad habit every blue moon. Naya always made sure she was extra careful... well, at least she thought so.

"Nay... I'm your best friend," Heather states with a 'duh' tone, "of course I know; I just never said anything before. Plus, you know how I feel about those things..." she trails off sadly.

Naya had forgotten how perceptive her best friend could be. After spending so much time away from her while her character had been absent from the show, she lost touch with how familiar Heather was with all of her idiosyncrasies. Naya had truly missed that about the blonde, along with other things.

"So... are you gonna tell me what's got your mind so twisted up in knots?" Heather asks.

"It's nothing really..." Naya tries to convince the blonde. "I just have a lot of stuff on my plate right now."

"Okay..." Heather draws out, "so tell me about it."

"I wouldn't want to bore you," Naya casually replies. "Besides... you've got much more important things to worry about these days."

"Hey... don't do that," Heather chides as she steps further into the Latina's personal space. "Just because I have a baby now doesn't mean that I don't have time for my best friend."

Naya can feel the sincerity in Heather's voice, which she reflects with a small, appreciative smile. Still, she feels very conflicted on whether or not she should delve into the current issues that have been plaguing her mind.

"Nay... please?" Heather softly begs as she links her pinky around a tanned one.

Deeply sighing and being unable to deny Heather's adorable pout, Naya finally caves. "The wedding's off..."

The words linger in the air briefly before Heather gasps in recognition. "Are you being serious right now?"

Naya slowly nods her head in confirmation.

"Oh my God, Nay... I'm so sorry," Heather genuinely states as she wraps her arms snugly around the Latina. "What happened?"

Naya doesn't respond. In fact, she tightens her grip around Heather in an effort to keep herself from breaking down completely. Noticing this, Heather's mind begins to wonder.

"He didn't cheat on you, did he?" Heather hesitantly asks. After still receiving no response from her best friend, her mind begins spiraling downward. "He did, didn't he?! That son of a bitch! If he did anything to hurt you, I swear to God... I'll kill—"

"It was me..." Naya mumbles into Heather's neck.

"What?" Heather asks, confused about her best friend's response.

"Sean didn't do anything... it was me," Naya replies loud enough for Heather to hear her. "He broke up with me."

"I don't understand," Heather says back as she gently pulls back a little to be able to see Naya's face. "Nay... what are you saying? I know you didn't cheat... it's not your style."

"I..." Naya starts to say, but then stops. The Latina stood there for a moment, wracking her brain for the right words to say. "I didn't physically cheat on him..." Naya pauses, "but if I'm being completely honest... my heart was never in this relationship."

Sensing the cryptic tone of her words, Heather gently releases her hold on Naya and leads her over to the bench she was occupying previously.

"Okay, so... if your heart was never really in it, why did you keep seeing him? Hell, why did you agree to marry him?" Heather cautiously asks.

"I don't know... maybe cuz I don't wanna die alone," Naya solemnly replies. "God... I'm so pathetic," she states as she ducks her head and covers her face with her hands.

"Nay... c'mere," the blonde says as she wraps her right arm around the Latina's shoulders. Naya then proceeds to rest her head on Heather's shoulder. "You're far from pathetic. I just don't understand why you would think that you'd die alone if you didn't marry Sean," she reassures. "Honey, if you're not in love with him, then you guys shouldn't be together... period."

As Heather begins to trace random circles on the skin of Naya's arm, she feels the girl begin to relax a little. After hearing a few shaky breaths being released from her best friend, she feels Naya begin to twirl strands of her blonde hair between her fingers.

"I tried... I tried so hard to fall in love with him, but I just couldn't," Naya begins, only speaking barely above a whisper. "He's a nice guy and I do enjoy spending time with him, but... it was always more of a friendly vibe... at least on my end," she explains. "Sure, he's really funny and attractive... I just... I don't know."

Recognizing defeat in her voice, Heather tries to help the Latina work through her words. "Sweetie... if you knew from the beginning that Sean was turning into just another guy friend, then why did you keep dating him? I'm positive you wouldn't have had any trouble finding another guy."

"But that's just it... I don't want another guy," Naya mumbles, barely above a whisper. As Heather's face contorts as she tries to decipher the Latina's words, Naya continues. "I just... I don't know; I need a break."

"A break from..." Heather prompts.

"Everything..." Naya starts off as she slips out of Heather's embrace and stands up, beginning to pace in front of the blonde's seated position.

"Could you be a little more specific?"

"I just need a break from the show, everything Glee related, LA... you," she whispers the last part out, hoping the blonde didn't hear it.

"From m-me?" Heather stutters out in complete disbelief. "I d-don't understand... what did I do?"

At this point, Heather looks completely torn. She had no idea that her best friend had been this stressed out lately. Furthermore, she had no idea that she was one of the reasons for it.

Seeing Heather's dejected appearance, Naya feels terrible. She had never planned on saying anything to the blonde, but seeing the look on her face now, she knew that she had to say something.

Naya halts her pacing and takes a seat back on the bench next to Heather. However, unlike usual, she puts as much distance between them as possible. This confuses Heather, but she decides not to comment on it.

"Honestly Heather... you didn't do anything," Naya begins as she sighs loudly, staring at the ground below her. "This really is my problem."

"I know that's probably supposed to make me feel better, but it doesn't," the blonde replies. "Please, Nay... just tell me what the hell is going on."

Naya stays silent for a few moments, not daring to look up at her best friend. As she struggles with her inner turmoil, she feels Heather's warmth as her hand becomes covered by the blonde's. "Naya... please, just talk to me."

"I thought I had finally moved on," Naya finally says. "I started having a life again and forgetting about these stupid feelings. I met a great guy and actually felt happy, although I should've known it would only end up being temporary."

Heather just sits there and listens as Naya rambles on. She had no idea what this had to with her, but she hoped eventually this would all make sense.

"Not being able to see you every day for the past year has sucked, but I think it was necessary for me to move on," Naya continues. "I thought everything was working out great too, but then you came back and..."

Naya pauses, unsure of how to properly word exactly what she wants to say. She closes her eyes and intakes a deep breath of air, not daring to look at Heather. If she had done so, she would've seen the look of utter confusion plastered on the blonde's face as she tried to process the little bit of information her best friend has revealed thus far.

"Sean noticed how distant and unaffectionate I had become over the past month. When he confronted me about it, I just couldn't lie to him anymore," Naya continues as she squeezes her eyes shut tighter, trying to prevent the tears form spilling out.

"What did you tell him?" Heather softly asks as she grips the Latina's hand more firmly. Although Naya found comfort in this, the physical contact with the blonde was just too much at the moment.

As Naya slowly withdraws her hand from Heather, she stands again with her back facing the dancer. She tightly wraps her arms around her chest in a protective manner, begging herself for the strength needed to finally get this all out.

"I told him the truth... I told him that I'm in love with you," Naya finally says as she lets out a long, deep breath that she had been holding. As she turns around so that her body is facing the blonde, she continues. "I'm in love with you, Heather," she finishes as she finally opens her eyes and looks up to find wide blue ones staring back at her.

Heather's mouth remains agape as she struggles to find her words after being delivered one of the biggest bombshells of her life. For a moment, she thought that her ears were deceiving her, but once she saw Naya's unchanging facial expression, she knew that this was no joke.

As Heather proceeds to open and close her mouth several times, Naya decides to spare her the trouble by going into a little more detail that will perhaps answer some of the blonde's questions. Naya breaks her intense staring contest with Heather and takes a seat on the bench again.

"You've always had this unique hold on me… ever since the first day we met. You're so smart and funny and beautiful..." Naya explains. "I guess it started out as just a harmless crush, but... somewhere along the way, I fell for you... hard. I mean, who wouldn't... you're practically perfect. "

As Heather just sits and listens to her best friend, she finally finds the strength to close her mouth, marveling at all of the wonderful things the Latina has to say about her.

"I never intended on it being anything more, but after we shared that first kiss in Dublin... I knew I was pretty screwed," Naya continues as a light chuckle emits from her mouth while a small smile tugs at Heather's lips. "Honestly, I only started sneaking in smokes when our characters' relationship started going downhill..." she admits.

As Heather listens intently, she finds herself inching closer to the Latina until their knees are slightly touching. It was more than just a comfort thing. Throughout her friendship with Naya, she always felt the need to be touching her in some way whenever they both were in the same room. It was something that was unexplainable to the blonde, but she never felt the need to question it; it was just a private thing that the two of them shared.

"Anyways... when you got pregnant and became absent from the show, I finally had a chance to breath and take a step back from everything," the Latina continues. "Time away from you helped me to forget about these feelings and allowed me to be open to finding someone that I could fall for; someone that could actually return my feelings."

As Heather continues to listen, she subconsciously starts to trace light circles on her best friend's thigh. Unbeknownst to her, the blonde didn't realize the affect she was currently having on the Latina.

"Heather..." Naya says breathlessly as she places her hand on top of the blonde's, halting her movements.

As Heather looks down at their combined hands - a perfect mixture of caramel and milky white - she finally understands what her unintentional actions must've been doing to her friend. "Oh... sorry."

"It's okay..." the Latina whispers out. "I really did like Sean… but marrying him would've been wrong. Being constantly surrounded by you for the past month has shown me that I'm not ready to be in a relationship with anyone, not until I can confront these feelings for you and let them go. That's what I'm doing now."

Heather doesn't say anything at first. She's trying so hard to work through all of the different emotions swimming around inside her head from her best friend's confession. "So... what happens now?" Heather finally asks.

Naya releases a sigh of relief, thankful that the blonde doesn't seem disgusted, upset, or angry by her admission. "I move on and you go home to your loving boyfriend and beautiful baby boy."

"But... are we okay?" Heather cautiously asks. "I don't want to lose you, Nay..." she says a little choked up.

"Hey, hey..." Naya coos into her ear as she brings the blonde into a tight embrace. "You could never lose me, HeMo... ever; not even if you tried," she states genuinely.

After a few moments pass, the girls slowly detach themselves from each other, wiping away their stray tears.

"Why does it feel like we're breaking up?" Heather ponders as she attempts to dry her hands off on her dress.

"Cuz you're so freaking dramatic," Naya states as she playfully rolls her eyes and bumps her shoulder against the blonde's.

"I know... I'm sorry," Heather chuckles out. "Is it too late to blame the influx of hormones from my pregnancy?"

"Maybe just a tad bit," Naya replies as she brings her index and thumb together.

Heather bumps her shoulder back while calling her best friend an ass. The Latina replies by asking her if she kisses her child with that mouth of hers, earning a playful glare from the blonde. Both girls just laugh at each other, feeling the heavy fog of seriousness lift as they fall back into their usual playful banter.

"I guess we should probably head back," Naya says as she stands up from the bench and extends her hand out to the beautiful blonde.

"I suppose..." Heather sighs as she takes the Latina's offered hand and allows herself to be pulled up.

Naya then disconnects their hands so that she can walk over to the ledge and grab her clutch. On the way towards the elevator where Heather awaits, the Latina spots a trash bin and discards her pack of cigarettes and lighter. She feels empowered by the action.

"You didn't have to do that," Heather replies in awe.

"Yeah, I did..." the Latina responds, "it's a nasty habit anyways."

"Thank you..." Heather says barely above a whisper, knowing that Naya's actions were more for her than herself.

Naya just smiles back in return as the elevator finally arrives and both women step inside the cable car. As they make their way towards the lower levels, a comforting silence envelopes over them. Once they reach their desired floor and the bell dings, they step forward to make their way back to the party.

Before Naya can fully step out of the elevator, she feels a slight tug on her wrist.

"I just wanted to say that I'm so honored and incredibly flattered that you think so highly of me," Heather sincerely states. "And if things were different..."

"You don't have to say anything else..." Naya politely interrupts, not needing for her best friend to finish her statement. Just knowing that she hasn't ruin her friendship with the blonde by exposing her true feelings was enough for her.

As Naya extends her pinky to the blonde, Heather smiles and links their pinkies together as they walk into the ballroom and re-join the rest of their friends.

Later on that night, Naya is finally able to get a decent night's rest after finally lifting the heavy boulder that's been weighing her down for years. Meanwhile, Heather tosses and turns throughout the night. She can't get the conversation she had with Naya on the rooftop off her mind.

"All this time... and I never knew," Heather thinks to herself, feeling foolish for not figuring out what had been eating at her best friend for so long. After spending endless hours trying to figure everything out, exhaustion finally takes over and knocks the blonde out.

The next day, Heather elicits some help from a fellow cast mate and friend to help her sort through some of her unexplained questions.

"Next to me, you probably know Naya the best..." Heather begins.

"True dat," Kevin simply replies.

"So... I'm assuming that you already knew about her feelings for me?" The blonde questions.

"Also true."

"So… why didn't I see it?"

As Heather ponders over her own question, she stairs up at the ceiling, Kevin's head lying right next to hers as they both lie on the carpeted floor of her living room.

"Well... you've kind of had a lot of stuff going on in your personal life as well," Kevin answers the rhetorical question, breaking the silence. "You've been juggling your career while trying to maintain a long distance relationship since the day we all met you."

"I know, but I'm usually a pretty perceptive person," Heather argues. "How could I not see something that's been blatantly staring me in the face all of this time?"

"I think you're underestimating how great of an actor Naya is..." Kevin states as he turns his head towards the blonde. "It was never something that she was gonna act on it, especially since you were never available. My girl ain't no homewrecker, yo!"

"You're absolutely intolerable," Heather playfully chides.

"Eh..." is Kevin's response to that. "So... what's the move now, HeMo?"

"What do you mean?" Heather cautiously asks.

"Well... things look a little different around here," Kevin says as he motions around the room to where tons of photos of the happy couple used to hang.

"Oh... I guess you noticed," Heather solemnly replies.

"Yeah... kinda hard to miss," Kevin states. "What happened?"

"I'm still trying to figure it out," Heather begins. "Things were kind of rough for a while, but then they got better. I thought we would be okay, but then things got worse..."

"Is that why you left the show when you first found out you were pregnant?" Kevin curiously inquires.

"Yeah... I was just trying to figure out what we were gonna do since we had this little baby on the way," Heather replies. "Surprisingly enough, having a baby with Taylor did not magically fix the issues that me and him had," she bitterly chuckles out.

"Why didn't you tell us... or at the very least, Naya?" Kevin wonders.

"I didn't want to burden you guys with my problems," the blonde sadly states. "And Naya... she finally seemed like she was happy and in a good place. I didn't want to ruin that."

"What do you mean 'seemed like'?"

"Oh... she didn't tell you yet?" Heather questions. Once she sees the confused look on Kevin's face, she continues. "Her and Sean broke up..."

"Damn... that would definitely explain some things," Kevin says to no one in particular. "To be honest though, that doesn't really surprise me."

As the two friends remain lying on the ground, Kevin seizes the opportunity to get an answer to one of his burning questions.

"So, I ask again... what's the next move?"

"There is no move... I'm gonna continue raising my son and she's gonna move on," Heather states.

"Is that what you want? For her to move on, I mean."

"Yeah, of course," Heather says unconvincingly. "She deserves to finally have this chance."

"Okay then... answer me this," Kevin begins. "Have you ever thought about Naya is a non-friendly way?"

"That is a damn good question," Heather thinks to herself.

A damn good question… indeed.

The next few days passed by like a blur for Naya. Finally, her life had seemed to get back to normal now that she wasn't constantly pining over Heather. Of course, she still thought about the blonde often; however, it was more in a friendly nature, wondering how the rest of her week had been. Since she had confessed her feelings to Heather, they had been exchanging texts throughout the day, but nothing too serious.

Again, she was just happy that things hadn't gotten weird between the two of them.

On the other hand, Heather had been the exact opposite, driving herself crazy with all of her feelings. Her feelings are exactly the reason why she ended up at her best friend's doorstep on that Sunday afternoon.

Using her spare key that Naya had given her so long ago, Heather lets herself into the Latina's house and calls out her name to announce her presence.

"HeMo... hey! What a pleasant surprise," Naya states as she walks out of the kitchen to greet the blonde with a friendly hug. "What brings you to my neck of the woods?"

"Can't a girl just visit her bestie for no reason?" Heather nervously replies as she rubs the back of her neck.

"No... of course you can," Naya skeptically says. "Have you eaten anything yet? I was just about to make lunch."

"Sure, that sounds nice," Heather states as she follows Naya into the kitchen.

After enjoying a nice, but silent lunch, Naya finally gets tired of this odd behavior that her best friend is exhibiting.

"Heather... what's wrong? Naya asks with concern laced in her voice.

"Huh?" Heather responds, breaking away from her thoughts.

"Talk to me... you know you can tell me anything," Naya assures while taking Heather's right hand with her left.

"It's just... I've been doing a lot of thinking these past few days," the blonde admits.

"Does this have anything to do with what I told you at the party?" Naya carefully asks.

"A little..." Heather answers back. "Okay, a lot actually."

"God..." Naya replies as she pulls her hand away from Heather and begins to rub her temples. "Should I have just not said anything?"

"No, Nay... I'm glad that you told me," Heather states as she pulls Naya's hand away from her face and laces their fingers together. The Latina can feel the sincerity in her voice.

"You are?"

"Yeah... I actually have some stuff that I need to tell you," Heather responds.

As Naya slowly nods for her continue, Heather proceeds to tell her how she and Taylor have been on a "break" for a good while now. She tells Naya how Taylor moved out a few months ago and how they've been working really hard to make sure that Elijah has been taken care of and whether or not there is still a future for them.

"Before everything went to hell in a hand basket, me and Taylor were trying our best to work out our issues. I guess one of the last times that we saw each other and were intimate was the night that Elijah was conceived," Heather continues. "Although he wasn't planned, I wouldn't trade having him in my life for one second, no matter what the current status of my relationship with his father is."

As Naya intently listens, she feels bad for being so absent during this troubling time for her best friend.

"I said all of that to say this," Heather picks back up. "At the time, I didn't know the reason why I began to fall out of love with Taylor… I just knew that things were changing and I couldn't stop it. After hearing what you had to say the other night - and talking it over with Kevin - I think I finally figured it out."

Naya begins to feel a tingly sensation shoot from her fingertips all the way up her arm. As she looks down at her hand, she notices the small circles that Heather's been lightly tracing on her palm. Naya resists the urge to let out the whimper that is rumbling in her throat.

"You know... Kevin asked me if I had ever thought about you in a non-friendly way," Heather says in a much lower tone as she drags her finger upward towards her wrist and elbow.

"W-what did you s-say?" Naya stutters out.

"I couldn't say no," Heather honestly says as she runs her finger back down to Naya's hand and links their fingers together again. "Taylor and I are done."

"What?!"

"I mean, he'll always be a part of my life because we share a son together, but as far as our romantic relationship… that's over," Heather firmly responds.

"Heather... I'm so sorry," Naya genuinely states.

"I'm not..." Heather simply replies. "I think we both just reach a place in our relationship where things just became stagnant. Even with the baby, I could feel the magic that was once there between us was gone."

"So, what does all of this mean?"

"Right now, I have to do what's best for me and my son. If I'm going to be with anyone, I need to be with someone who isn't afraid to let me grow; someone that will be right by my side, holding my hand when that happens," Heather pauses as she takes her free hand and connects it with Naya's other one. "Nay... I know that you're in your whole "I'm moving on" phase, but... I'm hoping that you might reconsider?" Heather somewhat questions and states at the same time. "Because at the end of the day... I really want that someone to be you."

Heather and Naya share an intense look that appears to stop time. The Latina is on the verge of tears, not really sure if her mind has played some sort of trick on her. Naya wants nothing more than to believe everything that her beautiful best friend has just said, but it all seems just so surreal.

First off... her and Taylor broke up? When the hell did that happen? Naya had no idea that the two of them were even having problems. They always seemed like the happiest couple, especially now with Elijah's arrival. That's part of the reason why Naya continued dating Sean for so long and eventually agreed to marry him when he asked. She never intended on telling Heather about her feelings; she just hoped that she could surpass them and find as close to happiness that she could get with Sean.

"I guess I'm not the only one who's really good at pretending," Naya thinks to herself.

"Nay... say something; anything."

"Are you... are you fucking with me right now?"

"No, of course not... I would never joke about something like this," Heather says as she continues to look deep into the Latina's eyes, squeezing her hands simultaneously.

"I just don't understand… if you've been feeling like this for however long, why didn't you say anything on Wednesday when I basically spilled my heart out to you?" Naya incredulously asks as she scoots her chair back from the table, causing their laced fingers to separate. "I mean, are you just saying all this stuff now because you and Taylor broke up and you don't want to be alone?"

"No... how could you even think that?" Heather says a little defensively.

Heather knew that her timing wasn't great, seeing that she had a wonderful opportunity to tell her best friend all of this stuff when Naya confessed her feelings. She can understand the Latina's confusion and apprehension, but that doesn't make it hurt any less to be accused of trying to use Naya as her rebound. Heather was banking on the idea that she would tell Naya how she felt and the two of them would magically live happily ever after without having a real conversation about the events that led up to this point. The blonde knew that it was a long shot, but it still didn't stop her from hoping for the best.

"I know I probably have like the worst timing ever and I should've said something on Wednesday, but I honestly didn't know at the time," Heather explains. "I've suppressed these feelings for so long because I wasn't supposed to have them. And that's not because we're both girls… It's because I was supposed to be in a happy relationship with someone else and it felt wrong to be thinking about you when I should've been thinking about him."

Naya doesn't say anything. Instead, she opts to cross her arms protectively over her chest and stare down at the table. She wants to believe Heather so badly, but she's conflicted. After she finally told the blonde about her feelings, she really did feel like she could properly move on. But now... here was her best friend, telling her the best news she could ever hope to hear.

Heather then rises from her chair and walks the short distance around the table until she finds herself kneeling in front of the Latina.

"Naya... I know that this is a lot to take in and there's probably a part of you that doubts my feelings for you, but I assure you... my intentions are pure," Heather softly says as she pries Naya's hands away from her body and lifts up her chin. "I've been utterly confused and torn about a lot of things these past few days, but I'm not anymore… I love you, Naya!"

Naya is left speechless as she gauges the look of intensity from Heather's eyes. She's so overwhelmed that her bottom lip begins to tremble.

"I wanna be with you, Naya... or at the very least have the chance to see what we could be," the blonde continues. "I wanna know what it's like to go out on dates with you... and kiss you and hold you and wake up with you every morning. I know that you would be an amazing second mother to Eli, if that's what you wanted. And I know that I'm throwing a lot at you all at once, but you don't have to decide right now. Take as much ti—"

Before Heather has the opportunity to finish her incessant rambling, Naya silences the blonde with her lips.

"Shut up... just shut up and fucking kiss me," Naya exclaims as she captures the blonde's lips once again whilst grabbing her face.

"I can do that..." Heather breathlessly says as stands up to reposition herself on Naya's lap, effectively straddling the shorter girl.

As their breathing becomes labored, their kisses become more sloppy because neither one of them wants to be the first to pull away. Unfortunately, air becomes a necessity, causing both women to break their lips apart.

"I need you, Nay... I need you so fucking bad," Heather moans out as Naya begins sucking on her pulse point. The profanity from the blonde's delicate mouth only spurs on the Latina as she sucks harder. "Please baby... make love to me."

Hearing those words leave Heather's lips effectively halts the previous activity Naya was participating in. As she looks back into Heather's eyes - which are about 10 shades darker than usual - she can feel the love and desire staring back at her.

"I love you... and I want you," Heather tries to say steadily through her heavy breaths. "But the question is... do you still want me?"

There's so much vulnerability behind Heather's words that Naya's unsure if she should laugh or cry. Instead, she dumbly nods her head, telling the blonde that she's always wanted her before bringing their lips back together.

Soon after that, Heather reaches for the ends of Naya's tank top and removes the offending article of clothing fairly quickly. The Latina then reciprocates the act by tearing Heather's t-shirt off of her. Naya slowly begins to place kisses all over the blonde's exposed chest while Heather revels in the feeling, throwing her head back in response. Naya then stands up and lays Heather against the surface of the hardwood table whilst climbing on top of her. As the girls' hips begin grinding into each other at a delicious pace, Heather decides that it's not enough.

"I need to feel you, Naya... all of you," Heather pants out with hooded eyes.

The Latina nods her head in understanding as she softly kisses the blonde's inviting lips. She then slowly trails her hands down Heather's body until they come to rest atop of her jeans. Naya then unbuttons Heather's jeans and lowers the zipper. But before she can continue, Naya needs to make sure that this drastic change that is about to take place will not be something either one of them regrets afterwards.

"Are you absolutely sure about this?" Naya worriedly asks as she looks into Heather's eyes. As much as she just wants to shut her brain off and dive in head first with no inhibitions, this situation is much too delicate to take lightly. "If we do this..." she pauses, "if we cross this line... there's no turning back. I wouldn't be able to just be your friend anymore, not after getting the chance to be with you."

Heather can feel the honesty but also how scared Naya is about their pending relationship. This is an all or nothing situation for her. The blonde wouldn't be able to function if the Latina wasn't in her life anymore. This is a huge step that could have damaging ramifications if the wrong path is chosen.

"Naya..." Heather whispers out as she raises her hand and tucks a strand of loose hair behind her best friend's ear. She uses her other hand to gentle caress the tan girl's cheek. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

And with those words, Heather removes the remaining space between her and future lover's lips. This is all the conformation Naya needs to proceed in making love to the woman who had stolen her heart so long ago.

As Naya slips her hand into Heather's jeans and passed her panties, she feels a tightness in her lower abdomen as she feels just how much the blonde wants her on her fingers. Heather's back immediately arches off of the table as she tries her best to control her breathing. Once she feels Naya's magical fingers enter her, she nearly loses it.

Not wanting the Latina to feel left out, Heather reaches in between their tangled bodies and slips her hand into Naya's sweatpants, gushing even more when she feels her fingers being coated by Naya's want for her. The blonde wastes no time in plunging her fingers into her best friend's core, mirroring Naya's actions as they both find a steady pace rocking back and forth.

Not long after, both girls come undone and ride out their orgasms together. When they both finally come down from their highs, they each remove their hands from their partner's pants and rest them somewhere on the other's body.

"Wow... that was amazing," Heather barely gets out while trying desperately to regulate her breathing.

"Yeah... it was," Naya pants out as she lies next to Heather. "You're so beautiful..." she says as she gently strokes the blonde's cheek before placing a delicate kiss to her lips. Heather softly moans in appreciation.

"And you're so incredibly cheesy," Heather responds as both girls giggle. She then places her hand on top of the one caressing her cheek and kisses the inside of Naya's palm. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

As the day progresses, Heather and Naya spend the rest of the evening discussing their new found relationship and what they plan on doing from here on out. The rest of the night is filled with laughter, chit-chatting, and making love with nothing but their birthday suits on.

The next morning, Heather rolls over in bed to find that her gorgeous girlfriend is not there. As she throws on her panties that had been haphazardly thrown across the room during the previous night's amorous activities, she reaches into Naya's drawer and puts on an over-sized shirt that covers the majority of her lower half. Heather then makes her way downstairs as the aroma of coffee beans takes over her senses.

"Babe, come back to b—... Holy shit!" Heather screams in surprise as she enters the kitchen. "Kevin, what are you doing here?" The blonde questions as she steps behind the island to cover her unclothed legs.

Naya then walks back into the kitchen after letting Lucy out in backyard, completely unaware of what had just taken place. As she takes in Heather's shocked expression and her attire - or lack thereof - she's able to put the pieces together.

"Well, this is awkward..." Naya states, looking back and forth between her girlfriend and her other best friend.

"It's not for me," Kevin smugly replies gives Heather a head nod, followed a 'sup girl'. Once he looks back at Naya and sees the daggers in her eyes, he puts his hands up in surrender. "Damn Bee, I was just kidding."

"You better be, McHale..." Naya warns as she walks over towards Heather. "Good mornin' babe," she says as she wraps her arms around Heather's waist from behind and buries her face in blonde locks.

"Hmm... morning beautiful," Heather sighs out in content as she turns around in Naya's arms and places a chaste kiss to her lips.

"You guys are disgustingly adorable," Kevin gushes from the other side of island. "So, HeMo... I'm guessing my little pep talk helped?"

"Maybe just a little," Heather bashfully replies as she looks into her girlfriend's mocha eyes. "So... what brings you here at this early hour?"

"I was actually coming to check on Naya," Kevin begins. "We were texting yesterday when she suddenly stopped and I never heard back for her. Now I know why," he says as he wiggles his eyebrows.

"Yeah, sorry about that..." Heather apologizes, looking down at her hand that was now entwined with Naya's. "I kind of distracted her."

"It's all good, Heath... I'm just glad that you guys worked things out," Kevin sincerely states. "It's good to see you both happy."

"Thanks Kev!" Both girls say simultaneously.

"Alrighty lovebirds, I gotta head down to the set," Kevin states after finishing his cup of coffee. "Enjoy your time off and don't do anything I wouldn't do," he says as he shoots a wink towards both girls.

Once their cast mate leaves, the girls fall into a comfortable silence.

"So... whatcha got planned for the day?" Naya ponders.

"I gotta go meet up with Taylor in a little while to pick up Eli. Do you maybe wanna come with me?" Heather asks, feeling a bit apprehensive.

Although they had talked about it the night before, Naya still felt a little uneasy when it came to dealing with Heather's ex. She had no problem spending time with Elijah and actually looked forward to it, but she wasn't so sure how Taylor would feel about it. Although she had finally gotten the girl of her dreams, she didn't want to seem like she was flaunting her relationship in front of the poor guy whom had lost the beautiful blonde. Naya never held anything personal against Taylor - besides the fact that he met Heather first - and she actually considered him to be a really good guy. The last thing she wanted to do was make things abrasive and harder between the two people trying to navigate their way through co-parenting.

"I don't know... do you think that's such a good idea, especially this soon?" Naya questions.

"Like I told you yesterday, I want you to feel like Eli's mom too, especially if we're going to be together," Heather simply states. "Besides... Taylor already knows about us, or at least he knew how I felt about you and that I planned on pursuing you."

"Y-you told him about me... about us?" Naya stutters in surprise.

"Well, yeah. I told you Nay... I want this to be real," Heather says with all of the honestly she can muster. "So... whataya say?"

Naya pauses for a second so that she can gather her thoughts. "I'd say... let's go get our son."

Heather smiles at Naya's choice of words before she captures her girlfriend's lips in a sweet, but gentle kiss.

Just like in the 100th episode where true feelings were revealed, at the end of the day... neither Heather nor Naya could escape the impenetrable chemistry they have for one another.

That my friends is just something that cannot be re-created.

Author's Note:

Hey guys! Here's another one-shot in the Heya universe. It's still hard to believe that it's been a year since we've all mourn the loss of Cory. Hopefully this story will lift your spirits. Please enjoy and thanks again for the support.

-Kris